GameStop to start selling DLC in store… wait, what?

Specialty retailer GameStop has announced that it will start selling digital …

Many have wondered just how retailers like GameStop will be able to survive in the future if digitally downloaded content becomes widespread. As it turns out, the answer is simple: GameStop will sell DLC itself.

According to a report from Variety, the retailer will start selling digital content in its stores starting next year, and it already has backing from Sony and Microsoft. The new service will allow customers to pay for the content in store and then download it when they return home.

"We believe we can convert a significant portion of our in-store traffic to digital downloads for publishers," GameStop COO Paul Raines said at the BMO Capital Markets entertainment conference on Thursday. Essentially, clerks will be able to use DLC add-ons as yet another way to upsell products.

But while GameStop is making strides to enter the download space, it seems the retailer is not very worried about full-game downloads for the time being. "We believe a large market for full game downloads is not imminent in the near future," Raines explained.

And though selling digital content in a real-world environment—thus eliminating the convenience factor of buying DLC at home—may not make sense for everyone, for younger consumers or those without credit cards it may prove useful. The program will begin testing in early 2010.